


Perfect Chemistry

by aerpocket2020



Category: Knives Out (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27488230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerpocket2020/pseuds/aerpocket2020
Summary: Marta gets a second shot with the one that got away.
Relationships: Marta Cabrera & Ransom Drysdale, Marta Cabrera/Ransom Drysdale
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Perfect Chemistry

**Author's Note:**

> I know! I need to finish TWO other fics. But I couldn't resist! Anyway I hope you enjoy this!

The last time Marta had seen him had been a few days before graduation. She’d had a crush on him for two years now.

Which was weird.

He was so not her type.

Still, when he dropped into the seat beside her in chemistry class it had raised Marta’s body temperature instantly.

She was smitten.

Besotted even.

She wanted to write poems about how gorgeous Ransom Drysdale was.

She was also aware that maybe she only wanted to fuck him.

Which really freaked her out, whenever he dumped his bag onto the table and said hello in the mornings.

That was another thing. He was polite to her, did his half of their chem projects decently but there were plenty of people who thought he was a bully.

She wasn’t blind. Everyone knew he liked to sleep around and that he wasn’t beyond going after girls who weren’t even single.

One time when Marta was shooting none too discreet glances at his biceps, she noticed he had cuts on his arms and there was a bruise forming on his movie star jawline. Which meant he’d either beaten someone up or gotten into a scuffle the night before.

It didn’t seem to matter; she’d lusted after and been somewhat horrified by him in equal measure. And fantasized truly bizarre scenarios where he swept all the beakers off the linoleum table and took her right there.

One time at the end of senior year she got out of English class and found him leaning on the locker next to hers. Her stomach flipped a little.

“Hola, Ransom.” She said politely.

“Hi,” he was smiling at her. “Got any plans after the graduation ceremony on Friday?”

Marta wanted to let out a little girly squeal. He was asking her out!

He was!

Wasn’t he?!

Oh, yes!

(Oh, nooooo!)

She schooled herself and tried to pretend she was being cool. “No, not really.”

“Great!” was she imagining the absolute glee on his face or…? “There’s a party at that restaurant on the pier. I can pick you up at home. Around 7-ish?”

He hadn’t actually been to her house but he’d dropped her off after school once or twice.

“Yeah, sure.” She nodded, still smiling.

When she thought back on that moment, years later it would be with a somewhat wistful smile. It’d actually been the last time she’d seen him.

When she gave her valedictorian’s speech, she found herself looking for him in the crowd. He wasn’t there. And she was disappointed but not entirely surprised when he didn’t show up at her house either.

She went to a party with her friends instead, got properly drunk for the first time and made out with a guy from the football team who she pretended was Ransom.

(His muscles were nice enough but he did not smell as good.)

She honestly didn’t think he’d show up at their ten-year reunion either. While she was helping hand out their name tags, she heard someone with dark hair and a beard, say her name.

“Ransom!”

He was standing there in front of that cheap little table with a look on his face that was not unlike the surprised one Marta was sporting.

“What’re you doing-,” she shook her head. “I mean- Hi!”

“Yes! Hi!” he was smiling, but it was sort of awkward. The kind of hilariously awkward smile of someone who’d stood a girl up a decade ago and probably still felt bad about it. Marta didn’t mind, she’d forgiven him years ago.

Gwen, the girl who’d asked Marta to help with the table, had watched the interaction with mute interest and suddenly made shooing motions for Marta to go away.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah” Gwen was shooing her harder now, a big grin on her face. “Go, catch up. Have fun!”

Ransom’s smile had morphed into something much warmer, “Want to get some punch?”

His hand was resting lightly on the small of her back, and Marta had tried to supress the little shiver she felt at that miniscule contact.

Was it just her or was he even hotter now with the beard than when he’d been a teenager?

“I think someone’s spiked the punch with vodka.”

That made Ransom laugh when they reached the buffet table, “What a cliché.”

He reached into his blazer pocket and discreetly pulled out a little flask. “Want a sip?”

Marta grinned taking the flask from him, “You’re going to get us suspended.”

Somehow, they ended up sitting on the teacher’s desk in a nearby classroom passing the flask between the two of them. And Ransom confessed he’d stood her up because he’d been arrested for possession of narcotics.

“Ransom!”

“I know! I know!” he said chagrined. “I did a stupid thing. A really stupid thing.”

“Did you go to jail?” Part of her was relieved she hadn’t been around him when that was going on. Another part was hurt that he hadn’t ever told her any of this.

They’d been friends or something like that.

“It was more like house arrest.” He took a swig of the flask. “Linda managed to get a few charges thrown out.” He sounded bitter, almost like he’d have rather gone to proper jail for a few months.

He passed the flask back to her and his fingertips had brushed hers. Suddenly, Marta could feel every little twist of desire she’d felt for him come rushing back.

“What about you?”

“Hmmm?” she hadn’t quite heard him, too busy imagining wrapping her legs around his waist and nipping at his full lower lip.

“What’ve you been up to?”

“Oh!” she forced herself to stop mentally undressing him. “I’m a neo-natal specialist at St. Crosby’s.”

“Jesus, Marta,” he was laughing. “Of course, you’re a doctor. You always were such a nerd.”

“If I hadn’t been such a nerd, you’d have failed Chemistry.” She said primly.

“And Math.” She’d helped him study for a final once.

“And that Spanish project.” He tipped his flask to her. “God I was so useless. It’s a good thing I had a trust fund.”

“Had?” Marta took the flask from him.

“Oh, I blew through that years ago. I am spectacularly broke.” He was laughing a little. “You remember my grandfather? Harlan?”

“Of course, how is he?”

“Dead,” Ransom said cheerfully. “And the old bastard cut me out of his will.”

“My condolences.”

“I was just the worst lab partner, wasn’t I?”

“The _absolute_ worst.” He’d drawn closer the longer they talked, legs dangling off the table and still smelled as good as she remembered. “I still haven’t forgiven you for standing me up.”

“Oh,” he said softly, reaching out with one hand to brush some hair behind her ear. “The sad part is I don’t think I’m in any position to make it up to you either.”

“Do you want to make it up to me?”

Marta saw the laughter go out of his eyes for a moment, the hand he’d used to brush away her hair moved to cup her jaw, “I’m really at rock bottom right now, Cabrera.” He shook the almost empty flask a little. “And I might be a bit of an alcoholic.”

Things were completely the reverse of how they’d been in high school. Marta’s mother had been working two jobs and Marta herself had been fretting over how to afford college. Ransom by contrast had driven a nice car and came from the kind of New England money Marta had envied growing up.

Still, this didn’t make her happy. To see him like this.

“Why’d you come tonight?” Marta said, softly. “So, you could turn me down again?”

He tipped her head to look him squarely in the eyes again, “I wanted to see how you were doing.” He confessed and Marta felt her heart speed up at the confession. “And heck, it’s a good thing you weren’t around me those next few days. Can’t imagine how that would’ve looked. Class valedictorian arrested with local delinquent.”

“You weren’t a local delinquent,” Marta said, softly as his thumb swept over her lower lip. “You were a good lab partner and a pretty decent friend.”

“Jeez, you’re too nice to know what’s good for you,” he growled a little, shifting his other hand to hold her waist, long lashes fluttering. “And you’re so damn gorgeous on top of that. Us hooking up would’ve been a disaster.”

“Is that what you’re after?” Marta breathed, lower lip brushing against his. “A drunken hook up?”

She couldn’t help it anymore, she had to touch him. Sliding her hands beneath his coat and smoothing up his abdomen and chest.

Oh, well. Maybe he was broke and hopeless but he was still a total smoke show.

And he clearly had feelings for her.

She cupped the back of his neck and pressed her mouth to his cheek.

“I think you deserve a lot better than some aging playboy with 400 dollars in his bank account,” Ransom chuckled, lightly.

“I had the biggest crush on you senior year,” Marta said pressing a row of kisses on his jaw, the beard scratching at her in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. She lingered at the corner of his mouth.

“Had?”

“Well, I kind of still do,” she reached up to cup the back of his neck. “That hasn’t changed.”

When he finally pressed his mouth to hers it was just as perfect as Marta had imagined.

It might’ve been nice if he’d admitted having feelings for her, too. But he was a really good kisser and he tasted like whisky and mint.

He shifted her so she was in his lap Marta tipped forward to thrust her tongue to tangle with his.

When he broke from her for a breath all she did was press her forehead to his. “I still want you. I don’t care you’re some aging playboy.” She blurted suddenly.

Ransom stood suddenly, making her squeak, still wrapped around him. “That’s more than I deserve, sweetheart and I’ll always do whatever you want.”

“I’d like you to come home with me after,” Marta said, bracing her hands on his broad shoulders.

“Sounds great!” Ransom laughed as he started to back her into the chem lab, next door. “And I’ve always had this fantasy about us fucking on the linoleum.”


End file.
